1. Praise: We began with reading Psalm 56:8-13.

    • Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You, for You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?Psalm 56:12-13

    • Thank You that we are the children of light and life in Yeshua.
    • We love You because You hear our cry. (Psalm 116:1-2; Psalm 61:2)
    • Abba, You are our father with compassion on our frailty. (Psalm 103:13-14)
    • As You have asked, we offer You the sacrifice of thanksgiving. (Psalm 116:17)
    • We rejoice that You are our strength, our song and our salvation. (Psalm 118:14)
    • You are trustworthy as the rock that does not move in times of shaking. (Psalm 62:2)
    • Praise You that our feet are planted on the rock. (Psalm 27:5)
  2. Formation of the government: After nearly a month of negotiations, Benjamin Netanyahu has conceded that he has not been able to pull together a viable coalition to form a government. Benny Gantz, who leads the party with the largest number of seats, has been given the mandate to try to see if he is able to form a coalition. He has indicated that he will attempt to form a broad liberal government including members of far left and right factions. We believe that these negotiations will reveal the things about Gantz that he, as a very reticent man, has not spoken of during the election season.
    • Reveal the character and vision of Gantz that we may understand all of who he is. You are the One who knows the heart of man. (1 Samuel 16:7)
    • Have mercy in this attempt to make a coalition. We ask You for a government that will glorify You.
    • As at the anointing of David, bring forth Your unexpected choice for leadership. (1Samuel 16:11)
    • Lord God, bring together those alliances that are within Your will and break apart those that are not according to Your desire. (2 Chronicles 20:37)
  3. Netanyahu: Benjamin Netanyahu is still our prime minister. As such he continues to forge alliances abroad and lead our security cabinet, we need to faithfully lift him up. (1Timothy 2:1-2)
    • Abba, give him discernment of priorities and clarity of focus at this time. May he have wisdom and strategy and knowledge of what to do in the moment. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
    • Thank you for the vision that You have given him for this position.
    • Be a close friend to him as others desert him. (Proverbs 18:24)
    • Protect him in all that he does. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. (Isaiah 54:17)
    • Keep him from discouragement. Don’t let his heart fail him. (2 Samuel 17:27-29)
  4. Gaza: While this is not the area of our greatest and most immediate threat, Gaza remains an area of conflict on a daily and weekly basis. The weekly demonstrations may not reach international news levels any more, but they still happen every Friday.
    • Lord of Hosts, protect our soldiers who stand guard at the security fence. Protect them physically, mentally and spiritually against the barrage of hate that they face daily. (Psalm 3:3; Psalm 28:7)
    • As You commanded the children of Israel before entering the land, we bless our soldiers with this promise. Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.  And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:7-8)
    • Bless the residents of the Gaza border communities with rest and refreshment this Shabbat.
    • Yeshua, Who invited the little children to come to You, touch the children of these communities, healing any trauma and comforting any fears. (Matthew 19:13-14)
    • We hear Hamas boasting that they have new high tech weapons. May these weapons not be effective.
  5. Alignments of Turkey, Iran and Russia: With the withdrawal of the United States from northern Syria, Russia’s position in the region is being strengthened. Alliances between these three nations appear to be improving. The security cabinet of Israel has had two emergency meetings in the last month. Our desire is that within these shifting political realities that Israel will be up to date with all information that relates to these events and that we will know what we should be doing.
    • Give our political and military leadership wisdom to know what really is happening within the camps of our enemies. (2 Kings 6:12)
    • For those who hold the responsibility of making these vital decisions of what to do, or not to do, of when to do it and how, we ask You for the discernment of the men of Issachar. (1 Chronicles 12:32)
    • May Your timing rule in all. (Psalm 31:155)
    • Bless General Aviv Kochavi (the chief of staff) and the security cabinet with wisdom, knowledge, timing and courage.
    • Hold back our enemies from acting before their time. May they make mistakes and may there be confusion and division within their ranks. (Psalm 35:26)
    • O God of Truth, we ask that the media may not be a mouthpiece for the enemy, causing fear among our people. (Deuteronomy 32:4)
  6. Lebanon: Over the last eight days Lebanon has seen demonstrations against the government and the role of Hezbollah in it. Hezbollah campaigned to enter the government on a platform of social help and reform. The Lebanese public is demonstrating against the lack of fulfillment of those promises.
    • Do not allow them to use this as an excuse to attack Israel as a diversionary tactic.
    • Use these demonstrations to unravel the power of Hezbollah and release its grip on the government.
    • Keep both sides apart . Protect us from accidental engagements. (Exodus 14:19-20)
    • Give peace and protection to the residents of our northern communities. (Psalm 4:8; Psalm 29:11)
  7. Judea and Samaria: As we pray for peace in this area over Shabbat, we have two main areas for focus for prayer. Over the last couple of weeks, the incidences of violence from a radical minority of Jewish young people, often called the Hilltop Youth, have increased. We pray for reduction of friction between this group and the military, who are required to act as police in Judea and Samaria. And as always, we are concerned for the safety of the residents of this area.
    • Abba Father, redirect the passion of these young people to righteous and just directions. (Ecclesiastes 12:1)
    • Maintain the unity of our nation. Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. (Matthew 12:25)
    • Give our government and the IDF wisdom to act in this situation with righteousness and justice. (Leviticus 19:35)
    • Shield the residents of Judea and Samaria over this Shabbat. Bless then with peace and safety. (Psalm 34:7)
  8. Aliyah: There has been an unprecedented upswing of world-wide anti-Semitic attacks in the last few days. Our prayer is that this will bring about a parallel upswing of Aliyah.
    • Draw your people home by name, by nation, pulling them by their hearts. You promise to gather Your people, and You are doing it drop by drop. Make it a tsunami. (Isaiah 11;11,12)
    • Prepare the land practically for the influx with housing and jobs. (Exodus 23:20)
    • Make a way for those who are ready and want to come but are held back by finances or bureaucracy.
    • Place it on the hearts of Gentile churches and believers to support Aliyah, either financially or in prayer. (Isaiah 49:22)

We continue to pray for Chuck Cohen as he ministers in the U. S. Lord, protect him, anoint him and give him strength.

Blessings from Zion.

The IFI team